Gaming PC with Home Video Surveillance

 How to Integrate Your Gaming PC with Home Surveillance CCTV

Suppose you are deep into your gaming zone with headphones on. The sound of a knock on the door or someone breaking into your home is impossible to hear. Well, you need a home surveillance CCTV system. Simply install and incorporate  cameras into your existing gaming PC setup to make your home secure.

Protecting your gaming setup and improving alertness about the surroundings can put a lot of gamers’ minds at ease. Gaming is a strict business. You must put in skill and concentration to take your game account to new heights.

A simple task such as ordering a pizza can engage your mind in constantly hearing the doorbell or ringing phone.  A gamer can easily avoid constant loss of concentration through overlay video of a  camera. To learn more about integrating your gaming PC with CCTV, read on!

Integrating Gaming PC with CCTV

Let’s start with the basics. We will use an offline setup for gamers to emphasize the concept of a closed-circuit system. In addition, we will mention methods gamers can use to broadcast their camera feed to the internet. It will make it accessible from anywhere in the world. To start the integration process, you will need a set of items. Let’s move step-by-step:

Step 1: Choose the Right CCTV Cameras

CCTV cameras come in various shapes, sizes, and technical capabilities. We typically recommend an IP CCTV camera for gamers in a home configuration. It will provide a crisp video with details ideal for a small-scale setup. There are wireless versions of IP CCTV cameras, but they are prone to interference, which can cause stuttering video or audio. In a surveillance setup, having a wired connection alongside an on-camera SD card recording is the best option.

Connecting an IP CCTV camera with the internet and offline setup is easy. They can provide up to 4K resolution depending on the requirement. Furthermore, users can opt for a camera with a microphone to receive live audio. They only need a RJ45 ethernet connection for data and a power source. However, you will not need two cables running throughout the house for the camera. A single RJ45 cable will suffice. We will explain how to achieve that in the next step.

Step 2: Collecting Necessary CCTV Surveillance Items

After you decide which camera is best for your setup, we can move on to the other items. Here is a list of things for a home surveillance CCTV setup:

·        Cameras: The number of cameras will depend on the number of places you want to perform surveillance. It will serve as a basis for the items next in line.

·        PoE Switch: After deciding the number of cameras, you need a PoE (Power over Ethernet) switch. It will serve as the basis for providing power and transmitting your video to the gaming PC. Usually, people set it up near the computer, and its ports should equal the number of cameras plus one port for computer/router connection.

·        PoE Injector and Splitter: A typical IP CCTV camera requires coaxial power and network cable. A PoE injector and splitter will convert a simple ethernet cable to a coaxial power cable and data transmitting connection. Just ensure that they are IEEE 802.3at/aft compatible.

·        Ethernet Cable: The whole system communicates using the ethernet cable. Calculate the distance between the camera and the PoE switch after routing. There are various categories of ethernet cable available. Their price depends on the quality. We recommend using a Cat5e for its price/performance ratio. Anything above the Cat5e grade is also compatible.

**Note: A typical setup will have a line running underneath the carpet alongside the edges of the wall. Make sure to take proper measurements.

·        Router: You will need a router to connect the complete setup to the internet and ensure your PC remains connected. If you are an online gamer, then you own one. We will explain how to connect all the pieces and make them start working.

Step 3: Camera Placement

Strategically placing your  camera is essential. Ensure it is not easily accessible, and you can route the wire hidden away from eyesight. Following are some of the areas where you can place your camera for surveillance:

·        Front Door Entrance

·        Back Door Entrance

·        Vulnerable Windows

·        Garage

·        Drive Way

·        Hallway

·        Common Rooms

The areas might not relate to your setup, but be sure to cover maximum entrances. Observe where you can mount the camera for complete and precise coverage.

Step 4: Complete the CCTV Setup

Let’s start connecting all the puzzles. Before we mount the camera in their respective location, check connections and equipment healthiness by performing a test. Complete the following process to complete your CCTC setup.

1.   Connect your PoE switch to the power outlet and ensure the lights are on.

2.   Now connect the ethernet cable in one of the ports of the PoE switch and connect the other end to a PoE injector and splitter.

3.   Now take a camera and connect its wires with the PoE injector and splitter. Your camera will now have power.

4.   Take a new ethernet cable, insert it into one of the ports on the PoE switch, and connect the other end with the computer router. Make sure you plug in your gaming PC to the same router.

5.   Download and install the  software from the camera manufacturer’s website. Follow the instruction to access your camera live feed.

6.   You have successfully tested your equipment if you can see the live feed.

7.   As the last step, install your CCTV cameras at their designated location, route the cable, and complete the setup.

Step 5: Start Monitoring CCTV with Gaming PC

Now that you have connected all your equipment let’s obtain the live video feed from your cameras and place an overlay on your favorite game. You will need a decent graphics card and Windows or MacOS computer.

1.   We will be using the VLC media player. Download and install the latest version. It is free to use.

2.   You will be accessing the camera through its IP address. It is usually written and provided by the manufacturer. Check the website or instruction manual.

3.   Start VLC media player.

4.   Navigate to Media > Open Network Stream

5.   Now type the address to your camera with the following settings

rtsp://admin:a1B2c4@192.168.1.5

·        Note that in the address given above, the camera username is (admin), the password is (a1B2c4), and the IP address is (192.168.1.5). Everything else will remain the same.

·        After you enter, you will start streaming your IP CCTV camera.

·        Now, right-click on the live stream, navigate to view, and always click on top.

·        Right-click on the live stream and navigate to view. Now click minimal interface.

·        Now you will have a constant stream on top of all your games.

Note: To view your surveillance streams live from anywhere around the world. Follow the camera manufacturer’s guidelines to enable the online setup. The process is easy to follow once you connect the PC to the internet router.

Conclusion:

There are tons of benefits of having a live stream over your gaming sessions. It improves spatial awareness and helps gamers concentrate on their gaming ventures. The gaming industry has reached a whopping $385 billion and still growing. It is logical to find your share within the broad field. A home surveillance CCTV can provide the comfort of security for gamers. What better than having a live view of your surroundings while gaming?

The process is easy, and anyone with a basic knowledge of computers can put a system together. To save time, you can order a pre-configured setup from an online website to immediately set up your surveillance. At last, we hope you find value in our article. So set up your watch and get gaming!

Sensitivity vs Threshold

Sensitivity vs Threshold 

In video surveillance, sensitivity determines the smallest motion a camera can detect, while threshold defines the magnitude of that motion needed to trigger an event. A higher sensitivity setting allows the camera to register even minor movements, whereas a higher threshold makes it harder to trigger an event, requiring a more significant amount of motion to activate the motion detection. You often adjust these together to reduce false alarms from things like light changes while still capturing real events like a person or vehicle.

Sensitivity measures how responsive a system is to a stimulus, while the threshold is the minimum stimulus energy or change required to trigger a response, with sensitivity being the reciprocal of the threshold. In simpler terms, a high sensitivity means a low threshold and the system responds to small or subtle changes, whereas a low sensitivity implies a high threshold, requiring a significant change to elicit a reaction. 

Sensitivity

·        Definition: The ability of a system or person to detect a stimulus or respond to a change.

·        What it is: The ease with which a camera detects motion. 

·        Measurement: It is often defined as the inverse of the threshold. 

·        Function:  A high sensitivity means a system is more responsive and can detect very weak or small signals/changes.

·        How it works: A higher sensitivity value means the camera's motion detection algorithm is more "tuned in" to changes in pixels, allowing it to pick up on smaller or fainter movements.

·        Effect: A high sensitivity can lead to more alerts, as it's more likely to trigger from small, irrelevant movements. 

·        Example: A person with high sensitivity to noise might hear a faint sound that others don't. 

Threshold

·        Definition: The minimum level of stimulus energy, intensity, or change that is needed to activate a system or produce a detectable response.

·        What it is: The minimum amount of movement required to trigger a motion event.

·        Measurement: The specific level of input that is just enough to cause a reaction. 

·        Function: A low threshold means the system is easily triggered, while a high threshold requires a greater stimulus for a response.

·        How it works: It sets the bar for how much of a motion pixel change must occur before an alert is generated.

·        Effect: A higher threshold makes the system less likely to trigger, while a lower threshold will trigger the event more easily.

·        Example: A security camera's motion threshold determines the minimum amount of pixel change required to trigger an alarm. 

Relationship in Practice

·        Sensitivity and Threshold are Inversely Related: 

When sensitivity is high, the threshold is low, meaning less stimulus is needed for a response. Conversely, when sensitivity is low, the threshold is high, requiring a stronger stimulus to get a reaction. 

·        Adjusting for Performance: 

In tasks like motion detection, you adjust these settings together.

ü  Low sensitivity (high threshold): Reduces false alarms but may miss actual events. 

ü  High sensitivity (low threshold): Detects more subtle changes but increases the risk of false alerts.

Balancing Sensitivity and Threshold

·        Reduce False Alarms: You can use a combination of a higher threshold and moderate sensitivity to avoid triggering events from non-threatening movements (like swaying branches). 

·        Capture Key Events: You might use high sensitivity with a higher threshold to ensure you don't miss real events while still filtering out minor disturbances. 

Threshold value

As you mentioned the threshold value is a number in % and is the amount of pixels that is covered by the object relative the total amount of pixels in the picture. Let’s say that a person cover 15% of the total amount of pixels. Then the threshold value is 15%. For the system to detect that person the threshold level must be set to a lower value than 15%, let´s say 10%. Now, if something covers more than 10% of the pixels in the field of view the system will acknowledge that as an object of interest. But, that information will solely not trigger the system for motion detection… Therefore, we need a second parameter called Sensibility value.

Sensibility value

Sensibility is a parameter connected to if the object is moving slowly or fast. If the object is moving at all or if it is moving slowly or fast is determined from more mathematical calculations during a certain time interval. Let´s say that at time=1 the calculation gives the first threshold value. A specific time later at time=2 the second calculation gives the next threshold value and after time=3 it gives the third threshold value. If all these threshold values are the same the object is not moving and the system will not generate a motion trigg to start a recording of a video. But, if it is a difference between the threshold values something is happening with the object and it gets interesting. If the differences between the threshold values are small the object is probably moving slow. If the difference is big the object is probably moving fast. Let´s say that the system calculates a sensibility value that is between 0 and 100. A value of 0 means no change in motion, completely still. A value of 100 means t that the object is moving very fast. In Netcam system the Sensibility can be set to; very high – normal – very low. If you want to detect an object that moves very slowly you need to set the Sensibility to very high. Small changes in the sensibility value should be recognized as important and tell the system that here is something important going on. If the object is moving fast the sensibility value is high and it will also be recognized by the system as important. Well, why not always set the Sensibility to very high because then we will never miss a moving object? That is the million dollar question. If you set the Sensibility to very high it will detect everything and you will have a lot of false alarms! If you set the Sensibility to very low you will most likely never get a false alarm, but you will never get the moving object of interest either. Setting the Sensibility correct needs quite often some testing since it is very dependent of the situation.

‘Sensitivity’ is specified by most camera manufacturers using the ISO 12232 methodology. When using this saturation-based method, a higher ISO value means that it takes less light for the image to reach saturation but does not define how sensitive a sensor is to light (i.e., how many electrons are generated per incident photon) relative to the sensor noise.

ISO 12232 was established to give people an idea how a digital sensor compared to film speed, however it was never intended to give a full range of sensor performance. High-speed cameras are used in applications that demand good performance in low-light environments, which can not be determined by the ISO spec. To achieve a higher ISO rating the display settings of an image can be manipulated, such as by reducing the bit depth or full-well capacity. These specific changes make the image appear brighter but have an adverse effect on image quality and performance.

Consider the following limitations with the ISO 12232 specification when using it to compare high-speed cameras:

·        ISO 12232 does not account for noise performance. Instead, meaningful sensor qualities like Temporal Dark Noise (aka Read Noise) and Absolute Sensitivity Threshold, which indicates how well the sensor can identify detail from noise, are key attributes to discerning low light performance of the camera.

·        ISO is easily manipulated with added gain, which lowers Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and lowers Dynamic Range (DR). This trade-off gets masked because SNR and DR are not always reported, particularly not in relation to ISO. 

·        The rounding factor – Because ISO is based on film speed, manufacturers are instructed to round up to the closest defined ISO value above what was measured. This can inflate the value by up to 1/3 F-stop and is one reason it is not possible to get accurate photon level measurements with ISO as the basis for sensitivity.

·        The light source used for measuring ISO can be Tungsten or Daylight, and a monochrome camera using a Tungsten source will have a much higher spec when an IR filter is not used. Many applications do not have scattered or reflected light matching the spectrum of tungsten or daylight sources. Instead, it is best practice to use Spectral Responsivity plots (or QE curves) to determine how many electrons are generated relative to the number of incident photons across the visible and NIR spectrum. Spectral response curves are provided for all Phantom cameras.

Ultimately, there are too many unknowns to rely on the ISO 12232 specification when comparing sensitivity or any aspect of image quality. Vision Research has moved away from ISO as the way to spec sensitivity in favor of the EMVA 1288 standard, providing customers a full set of sensor parameters to evaluate the camera’s imaging performance.

 

Privileged Access Management

Privileged Access Management 

Privileged access management (PAM) is defined as the provisioning of tools that help organizations manage and secure accounts that have access to critical data and operations. Any compromise in these ‘privileged’ accounts can lead to financial losses and reputational damage for the organization.

Every organization’s infrastructure is built with multiple levels of deployments, data stores, applications, and third-party services. Some of these components are critical for operations, while some may be as mundane as email.

But each of these is accessed by user accounts, which are of two types:

Human users: They are typically employee accounts, encompassing all departments, including HR, DevOps, and network administrators. 

Automated non-human users: These are third-party applications and services that require an account to integrate with the organization’s systems.

‘Privilege’ is defined as the authority that an account has to modify any part of the company’s technology architecture, starting from individual devices to the office network. This privilege allows the bypassing of security restraints that are normally applied across all accounts.

A standard account is a norm among employees, with the least privileges attached to it. These accounts are used to access and operate limited resources such as internet browsing, emails, and office suites. A privileged account possesses more capabilities than a standard account. This elevated access is gained using privileged credentials.

Despite the numerous headline-making incidents in recent years, cybercrime continues to rise with reported data breaches increasing by 75% over the past two years. For those that suffer a breach, the repercussions can be costly:

increased public scrutiny, costly fines, decreased customer loyalty and reduced revenues. It is no wonder that cybercrime has risen towards the top of the concern list for many organisations and the customers with whom they do business.

You’ve heard many of the stories. Equifax, Uber, Facebook, My Heritage, Under Armor, and Marriott. Personal data from millions of their customers was stolen. Even though the number of breaches went down in the first half of 2018, the number of records stolen increased by 133 percent to almost 4,5 billion records

worldwide. Unfortunately things are only likely to get worse. According to a 2018 study from Juniper Research, an estimated 33 billion records will be stolen in 2023 – this represents a 275 percent increase from the 12 billion records

that are estimated to have been stolen in 2018.

Are you ready for more bad news? Thanks to the demands of the application economy, the threat landscape has expanded and protecting against these threats has only gotten more challenging.

Victims of the future

Digital transformation is a necessity for organisations to not only survive, but thrive in the application economy. But these transformations are creating an expanding set of new attack surfaces that must be defended, in addition to the

existing infrastructure that you’ve been protecting for years. These new points of vulnerability include:

DevOps adoption: In more sophisticated IT shops, continuous delivery/ continuous testing practices have introduced automated processes that see no human intervention at all. In many cases, these scripts or tools are often using hard-coded administrative credentials that are ripe for theft and misuse.

Hybrid environments: As your IT environment has evolved to include

software-defined data centres and networks, and expanded outside of your four walls to incorporate public cloud resources and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, the traditional way of approaching administration and management quickly falls apart – mainly because it fails to protect new attack surfaces like management consoles and APIs.

Internet of Things: Smart devices are proliferating in our lives, from phones to watches, from refrigerators and cars to medical implants and industrial machinery. And because these devices have connectivity, not only can they be hacked, but they are already being compromised where security is inadequate or non-existent.

Third-party access: Outsourcing development or IT operations has become the

norm. In addition, many companies are sharing information with partners. However, many of these third-party employees are being granted ‘concentrated power’ via administrative access. Who is watching how they are using or potentially misusing that access?

Take hold of the flame

Stealing and exploiting privileged accounts is a critical success factor for types of attacks. This is not surprising when one considers that privileged identities have access to the most sensitive resources and data in your environment; they literally hold the keys to the kingdom.

Thankfully, there is a positive angle you can take on this fact. If privileged accounts are the common thread amongst the innumerable attack types and vulnerability points, then these accounts – and the credentials associated with them – are exactly where you should focus your protection efforts.

For many, focusing on ‘privileged users’ is difficult because its population can be so diverse. Privileged accounts and access are not just granted to employees with direct, hands-on responsibility for system administration, but also to contractors and business partners. You may even have privileged unknowns who are securing ‘shadow IT’ resources without your knowledge. And finally, in many cases, privileged accounts aren’t even people – they may be applications or configuration files empowered by hard-coded administrative credentials.

This begs the question, if you can’t even get a clear tally of who represents your privileged user population, how can you hope to protect these accounts?

By securing those accounts at each stop along the breach kill chain.

Breaking the chains

What is a kill chain? It’s the series of steps an attacker typically follows when carrying out a breach. While the chain can comprise numerous steps, there are four key ones in which privileged credentials represent the cornerstone of an attack. These include:

1. Gain access and expand: To access the network, insiders might exploit the credentials they already have, while outsiders will exploit a vulnerability in the system to steal the necessary credentials.

2. Elevate privileges: Once inside, attackers will often try to elevate their privileges, so they can issue commands and gain access to whatever resources they’re after.

3. Investigate and move laterally: Attackers rarely land in the exact spot where the data they’re seeking is located, so they’ll investigate and move around in the network to get closer to their ultimate goal.

4. Wreak havoc: Once they have the credentials they need and have found exactly what they’re looking for, the attackers are free to wreak havoc (e.g. theft, business disruption, etc.).

If you can prevent an unauthorised user – insider or outsider – from gaining access to the system in the first place, you can stop an attack before it even starts.

To prevent unauthorised access, you must:

• Store all privileged credentials in an encrypted vault and rotate these credentials on a periodic basis.

• Authenticate all users, applications, and services before granting access to any

privileged credential.

• Employ automatic login and single sign-on so users never know the privileged credential.

Limiting privilege escalation

In many networks, it’s common for users to have access to more resources than they actually need – which means attackers can cause maximum damage quickly and even benign users can cause problems inadvertently. This is why granular access controls are so important.

To limit privilege escalation, you must:

• Adopt a ‘zero trust’ policy that only grants access to the systems people need for work.

• Implement filters and white/black lists to enable fine-grained access controls.

• Proactively shut down attempts to move laterally between unauthorised systems.

Monitoring privileged activity

Whether it’s a trusted insider who wandered into the wrong area or an attacker with malicious intent, there’s a very good chance that at some point users will gain access they shouldn’t have.

The challenge, then, is to improve visibility and forensics around user activity within sensitive systems. To deter violations at this late stage of the kill chain, you must:

• Ensure that all privileged access and activity is attributed to a specific user.

• Monitor all privileged activity to proactively detect unusual behaviour and trigger automatic mitigations.

• Record all user sessions so that all privileged activities can be played back in DVR-like fashion.

• Review and certify privileged access on a periodic basis to ensure that it is still required.

Barcode Access Control System for Businesses

Barcode Access Control System for Businesses 

In the ever-evolving landscape of security technology, access control systems have become increasingly sophisticated. With so many options, it can be difficult to know which is best and how to choose the right system for your company. A barcode access control system is one way you can control who physically enters your facilities. It’s a relatively inexpensive and flexible security option.

Chances are, you’ve encountered barcode access control systems in the past, be it at a place of work or in a public place. They simplify access control for users and administrators alike.

What is an Access Control System? 

An access control system regulates who has access to your property. Via various methods, the system grants access to authorized people and denies access to unauthorized people.

Access control systems can be simple, requiring people to swipe a card or punch in a code. Most access control brands, such as Openpath and Vanderbilt, can also be intricate, requiring cards to be swiped in a certain order or using biometric information to grant or deny access. Barcode systems are common and intuitive. 

What is a Barcode Access Control System?  

A barcode access control system is a relatively simple system that’s easy to implement on a wide scale. It requires employees or authorized personnel to present a barcode to gain access to the facility.

In addition to scanning barcodes, a similar form of access control scans QR codes as well. These both work in the same way; the person attempting to gain access swipes their code or displays it in front of a reader to gain access. 

How Does a Barcode Access Control System Work? 

Barcode access control works through a simple process. Barcode readers scan barcodes, which can be on paper, phones, devices, key tags, id cards, or badges, for example.

Access can be granted via automatic or manual readers. With automatic readers, you’ll need to install scanners at each entrance where you want to control access. Many companies and businesses that require patrons to gain access use automatic readers so employees or patrons can access the facility at any time. For example, an employee can swipe into work in the morning, and they can also swipe in at 9 pm when they realize they left their wallet at their desk. Similarly, patrons at a 24/7 gym can show up to work out at 3 am without requiring an employee to let them in.

With manual readers, you’ll need to station an employee with a handheld scanner at each entrance where you want to control access. This is typically used in workplaces where security is more important. You might also see manual readers with stationed employees at events that require barcode access, such as a concert or sporting event. 

When somebody attempts to gain access, they’ll swipe their barcode in the scanner. The scanner is connected to the access control system and sends the information from the swipe to the system. 

The access controls system records the unique ID that attempted access along with the date and time. It also grants or denies access. If access is granted, the system will unlock the door or complete whatever action is needed for the person to gain entry.

Types of Barcodes Used:

• Linear Barcodes: Traditional barcodes with parallel lines, like UPC and EAN. 
• 2D Barcodes (QR Codes): Can store more data and are often used with smartphones. 

What Are the Pros and Cons of a Barcode Access Control System? 

Barcode access control systems are relatively straightforward, and they’re used in many industries. Many office buildings use them for employees, and you may have also encountered them in public places, such as a gym, public transportation, or on a college campus.

Many industries use this type of system, but it isn’t right for everybody. Understanding the pros and cons can help you determine if you should choose a barcode access control system for your business.

Pros of Barcode Access Control 

Compared to other types of access control, a barcode access control system is relatively inexpensive. It’s also easy to create a new barcode for a new employee or for temporary access. In fact, you can regularly create new barcodes for temporary employees or visitors, and you can also specify when certain people will be granted access.

Barcode systems provide an opportunity to keep tabs on traffic. Because they log who is accessing the area and when, you can see the busy or slow times. You can also keep track of any access attempts that were denied. The system keeps tabs on when each person was granted access as well, which is helpful if you need to investigate an incident. It can help you narrow down who was likely in the building at the time the incident occurred.

Barcodes can also be duplicated and are non-proprietary. This makes it simple to customize the system, create new codes, and keep the access control system running smoothly. A common way to use barcode access control is for entrance to concerts or special events. It’s easy to create a one-time barcode for somebody to print or display on their phone. All they need to do is scan their code to gain entry to the event. 

Cons of Barcode Access Control 

Barcode access control isn’t the most secure form of access control. A biometric reader, for example, is better at ensuring the person attempting to gain access is who they say they are. Allowing 24/7 access to anybody with a barcode can present a security risk. 

Additionally, barcode access control requires people to swipe their card or place it in front of an optical reader. This isn’t a huge deal for most people, but it can be more cumbersome than simply getting near the reader with a prox card. If employees are often entering the building carrying a lot of things, this can be frustrating for them.

Courtsy: Alicia Betz for supportive information.